Monroe and Westover set for rivalry game to open the year

ALBANY – The buzz that surrounds the season opener of the high school football season is always high.

When the first game of the year is against one your biggest rivals, the anticipation is turned up to an even higher degree.

For the first time since 1995, the Monroe Tornadoes will open the season against the Westover Patriots. The two teams, the largest public schools in Albany, will open their respective seasons with a 7 p.m. game Saturday night at Hugh Mills Stadium.

“It is a big ballgame,” Monroe coach Charles Truitt said. “Westover has a great program and should have a great football team this year. It’s a big rivalry for us. Both teams’ kids play very hard against each other. First game and everybody wants to get a win in the first one.”

Monroe, who won last year’s game 44-24, will have plenty of new faces at key positions. Gone are running back Mark Robinson and linebacker Akilies Leroy, who are both at Lee County.

The Tornadoes could also have a new face at quarterback. David Dilliard was engaged in a battle with Ulysses Williams during summer practice. If Dilliard gets the start, Williams would move back to wide receiver, which is his natural position.

“We are getting better,” Truitt said. “We’ve got some areas that we have to improve on. I think all in all, the kids have played well. We are going to find out exactly what we are about against a good opponent.”

On the opposite side of the field, Westover will also have to break in numerous new players on the offensive side of the ball. The Patriots graduated 25 seniors last season including quarterback Emory McKenzie, who finished the year with more than 2,000 total yards.

“I think a lot of the questions we had coming into the season were answered in the preseason,” Westover coach Octavia Jones said. “Now, we kind of have an indication of what guys we can lean on throughout the year to try to get the offense going.”

The Patriots do return some big names, including offensive lineman Montravious Richardson, defensive tackle William Green and cornerback Dan Land. All three players are being looked at by Division I schools and are expected to make big contributions this season.

Jones said that with the rivalry game being played as the opener, the coaches need to make sure the players are focused.

“It starts with the coaches,” he said. “We just need to make sure they are ready to go. We try to keep the kids even-keeled and focused on the game and not everything else.”